Jeff Hensley returns as crew chief of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with driver Mike Skinner. Hensley has worked in NASCAR for more than 25 years and is hoping that his longevity in the sport will help put the No. 5 truck in both victory lane and the championship hunt in 2008.
Hensley comes from a racing family. His father, Hubert Hensley, began building modified race cars in his driveway in 1952. He passed his passion for racing to his son, who was attending races by age 10. The younger Hensley performed odd tasks to help the team, all the while learning everything he could about race cars. The Hensleys spent every waking hour working on their race car, which laid the foundation for Jeff’s success in the sport.
Jeff stepped into the driver’s seat for the first time at age 18, driving a family-owned car at tracks throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Hensley had great success behind the wheel and wanted to take his career to the next level. When NASCAR announced the formation of the Busch Grand National Series, the Hensleys jumped on the chance to race all over the country. Hensley drove his family-owned No. 63 Chevrolet in the inaugural Busch Grand National Series season in 1982.
At the end of the 1985 season, Hensley decided to hang up his driving gloves and become the crew chief for the family racing team. The team finished fifth in Busch Grand National points in his first season as crew chief.
Veteran driver Chuck Bown joined the Hensley Racing stable in 1988. Two years later, the team won six races and clinched the Busch Grand National Series Championship. Hensley’s success in the 1990 season earned him the Mechanic of the Year award.
Hensley continued to make the calls for his family’s team for another decade. At the end of the 2001 season, he became an engineer for Dodge at Arrington Manufacturers. He was involved with the research and development program for Dodge and worked on its engine package for the Craftsman Truck Series. Hensley enjoyed working with Arrington but missed being at the racetrack. He sought a new crew chief position, which he soon found at Bill Davis Racing. Davis hired Hensley in 2004 to lead his newly-formed Craftsman Truck Series team with driver Bill Lester. The duo put together seven top-10 starts and a solid eighth-place finish at Gateway International Raceway (Madison, Ill.).
The 2005 season was monumental for Hensley. He was paired with Mike Skinner, and the two veterans quickly let the rest of the competition know the No. 5 team would be a force to be reckoned with in the Craftsman Truck Series. Under Hensley’s leadership, Skinner compiled seven pole positions and brought Bill Davis Racing its first win in two years in dominating fashion at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The team won again the following week at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
The Skinner-Hensley duo continued their success in 2006. For the second consecutive year, the team bested the series in pole positions (eight). The No. 5 team went to victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and garnered eight top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes. T he season ended with the team in the 10th position in the championship standings.
In 2007, Skinner and Hensley were absolutely incredible. For the third consecutive year, the team captured the most poles in the series (11) while Skinner broke his own 1995 record of most poles in a season (10). The duo also managed to win five races and capture 17 top-five finishes and 20 top-10 finishes before finishing second in the championship battle.
“The only goal we set at the beginning of the season last year was to be consistent,” Hensley said. “And that is the same way we are going to approach 2008. We want to be competitive week in and week out, but strive for top-fives and top-10s each week.
“We had a very successful season in 2007, and we are hoping to better ourselves by one position this year. I think that we are one of the hottest teams out there, and I am looking forward to running for a championship with Mike in 2008.”
With Hensley’s leadership abilities and Skinner’s driving ability, the No. 5 Toyota Tundra team has a legitimate shot for the Craftsman Truck Series Championship in 2008.